What does weight control have to do with photography?

It’s the time of year when many people are re-evaluating their diet goals and restrictions. Many people are questioning whether or not they can stick with a weight loss goal or live up to a life style change in diet and eating habits. Frustration in this can lead to just simply giving up, and in the end gaining back unwanted pounds. You may be asking yourself what weight control has to do with photography. Well let’s consider 3 points in weight control and compare them with improving photographic skills. They are Eat well, Exercise and Maintain regular sleep cycle.

1) Eat well. From a diet perspective the foods we consume, or the quantities of food consumed affect us in different ways. Poor eating selections can momentarily boost our energy, followed promptly by a crash in energy. Junk foods can cause us to have sluggish reaction time, affect our work and sleep habits. Overeating can wear us down by making us tired, contribute to weight gain and affect our ability to exercise. The same principles apply to Photography. Have you had an opportunity to read a good book on photography? Feed your mind with good tips on shooting and you will see improvement. Look at images you like. Ask yourself ‘what in this image gets my attention?’ Can I duplicate the process? Speak with other photographers you respect. Feed your creative side photographic foods that lead to a more creative you. In regards to consumption, give your mind time to absorb what you are learning. Put into practice a few things at a time. Too much can bog you down and cause frustration.

2) Exercise. Eating well can in and of itself, help us control our weight. Exercise, though, makes us stronger. It helps us to tone up and stand out. Go to a family gathering, picnic or the pool after a few months of exercising; see how others react to you. When we have been exercising regularly we are a little less embarrassed to display ourselves in public. When others see us, they can tell we are working hard to not only look good, but to feel good also. Our photographic image quality is improved in the same way. That is to say, it’s improved by regularly using our camera and photographic equipment. Our images begin to take on a new and better look. We become less embarrassed by our photographic look and more willing to display work we have performed. Are you familiar with all of your cameras settings? Have you adjusted the sharpness, contrast or color modes of your camera lately? These are just a few exercises we can do to see new and different images emerge.

3) Maintain regular sleep cycle. More and more studies are being released on an almost a daily basis revealing the importance of sleep and weight control. A recent study showed women who sleep 7.5 hours over a few month period lost between 6 to 15 pounds; just for getting good sleep! They felt more energized throughout the day and tended to exercise more. Their resolve to eat well was stronger; they did not feel tired and want to give in to the bad foods. Instead they felt strong and could more easily resist temptations. So it goes with creating good images. Take a break. After a day of walking and photographing nearly everything; our minds are tired. This can stifle creativity. By processing images after a long and tiresome day we can easily miss images that could have been great, while perhaps keeping ones that are just o.k. I have found giving my images a week or more before I process them gives me more usable images. Try this out for yourself. Go out spend a day shooting and process them that night. Don’t delete any images though. Come back in a week and process the same set of images. Now compare the images. You will have a fresh view and may find yourself being more creative with them. So my advice is this, let the images and ideas sleep before processing them.

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